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American Freedom

Jordan Silberman
A Reflection on American Freedom for African-Americans
December 10, 2008

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”[1]

These powerful words, which our country declared freedom from British rule in 1776 are the basis for everything “American:” freedom, democracy, and equality. But for a country that was founded on such ideals, to exist for nearly 200 years without offering every man the privileges set forth in Bill of Rights is simply a paradox to the Declaration. American Freedom has changed its meaning for African-American’s in the last 50 years. Where freedom once meant voting rights, equality in school and social programs; now freedom comes in the different forms for African Americans. Through better schooling, historic influence in the government, and general sentiment, African-Americans are now given an opportunity to embrace what the forefathers of our country set out to establish 200 years ago, the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The government has made steps over the last couple of decades to end what was once a huge problem for our nation. Starting in the 1950’s, as a result of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the United took its first steps in the civil rights movement. Whether it was the Jim Crow laws or unwritten rules, “the United States in the 1950s was...